Although Courier was never an official Microsoft
product, the design and concept behind the dual-screen hinged tablet garnered a
lot of enthusiasm. (Note: Sonyis
expected to launcha tablet with a similar form factor in the near future.)

Pioneer Studios' Seattle office closed a year
after J Allard, a former top designer at Microsoft credited with founding
Pioneer, left the company. Pioneer cofounder, George Petschnigg, is now listed
as an "entrepreneur" working on an "undisclosed new venture"
on his LinkedIn profile. He was instrumental in securing $20 million in
development funding for the now dead Courier. According to a PC World, he is now at Microsoft's
Startup Business Group.

Other Pioneer Studios employees have also
reportedly left the company or have joined other groups, notably the Startup
Business Group.

In addition to Pioneer, Microsoft has a number of
other incubation groups, including FUSE Labs, the Garage, and the Hardware
Incubation Lab.

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